Planning Programs and Projects

This project will add multi-modal access improvements to multiple Pace Routes on the Washington Street corridor. Route 572 is the primary route that serves the corridor, although Route 562 also serves portions of the corridor and four others connect to it (561, 565, 566, 569). Improvements include bus shelters and concrete pads, wayfinding to important destinations, curb extensions at the intersection with the Robert McClory Bike Path, crosswalk improvements along the project area, and bike parking at the Metra station.

The RTA is assisting the Village of Richton Park to provide an update to the Village’s 2004 transit-oriented development plan (TOD), covering the 1/2 mile area surrounding the Richton Park Metra station. The goals for the project are to update, consolidate, and refresh the 2004 plan with new recommendations, imagery, and graphics. The plan will also include a modernized strategy to offer more housing options and create a new public open space near the Metra station. The updated plan will focus on ways to retain existing character, celebrate the Village’s history, and create an appealing Town Center for the community.

The RTA is assisting Pace to prepare a corridor study examining South Halsted St. between the Pace/Metra Harvey Transportation Center and the Pace Chicago Heights Terminal. Goals of the study are to increase transportation resilience, encourage transit-oriented development (TOD), and improve pedestrian accessibility, sidewalks, crosswalks, access to developments, and connectivity. The study will include coordination with Harvey, South Holland, East Hazel Crest, Homewood, Glenwood, and Chicago Heights.  The study will also offer strategies to prepare the corridor for Pace Pulse service and will identify future high frequency service station locations.

This project developed land use recommendations to support the CTA's planned bus rapid transit (BRT) service along the Western / Ashland corridors. The work led to the identification of land use policy changes that support transit-oriented development as well as design standards to improve the experience around potential station sites, with a focus on providing pedestrian access and increasing ridership.

Through this project, Pace created a new ridership forecasting application that utilizes customized market research and mode choice models. Using Pace's South Cook County, Southwest Cook County, and Will County Restructuring Initiatives as the market area for this project, the resulting data and models were used to identify opportunities for service improvements. This forecasting application will be used region-wide in each of Pace's service areas.

The RTA provided assistance to the City of Des Plaines in soliciting guidance and advice from development experts through a half-day discussion panel. This panel discussed the development climate and potential strategies to prepare for and attract development to specific parcels near the the intersection of Lee and Oakton Streets, adjacent to Pace Route 250 and future stations for the Pace Pulse Dempster Line. The goal of the developer discussion was to provide direct insight to local public officials and landowners on the current market for development within the study area and ways in which the City can attract reinvestment adjacent to transit stations.

This project assessed the feasibility of the City's preferred transit station location and developed a conceptual station area plan for a potential transit station located within the City on the potential Milwaukee District West Line service extension to Marengo. See Metra Marengo Extension Commuter Rail Feasibility Study for more information: https://metrarail.com/sites/default/files/assets/about-metra/marengofeasibilitystudy_022410.pdf.

The station area plan includes transit-oriented development recommendations as well as transit facility recommendations and implementation strategies.